Man with bear, Kilmarnock

Black and white photograph of man with a tamed bear in Kilmarnock. Tamed bears, sometimes called dancing bears, were wild bears that were either captured when young or bred in captivity. They were used to entertain people at pubs and circuses, or on the street. They were common throughout Europe and Asia in the 19th century. However, due to the often cruel methods used to force these bears to perform, the practice has been outlawed in many countries.